Reflections by those in Church Leadership

Transcription

1 Excerpts Regarding: Nonviolent Dialogue Across Differences Reflections by those in Church Leadership Archbishop Christophe Pierre (Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S.) Speech at U.S. Bishops Spring Assembly Origins, June 29, 2017 Pages Pope Francis calls the whole church to listen more. Do we listen even to those with whom we disagree so that we might propose the essentials of the Gospel in a more persuasive, life-giving way?.despite the various advances in technology and social communications, it seems that the mission of evangelization is stifled because often we only speak with those with whom we agree and do not listen enough to those at the margins of church and society. How often division in the church, sometimes along political lines, occurs because issues are placed against each other rather than within the larger framework of Catholic social doctrine, which necessarily promotes a consistent ethic and culture of life and opposes the throwaway culture lamented by [Pope Francis]. Pope Francis, "Pentecost Mass Homily" Origins, June 15, 2017 Pages In a way both creative and unexpected, [the Holy Spirit] generates diversity, for in every age he causes new and varied charisms to blossom. Then he brings about unity: He joins together, gathers and restores harmony.the Holy Spirit does so in a way that effects true union, according to God s will, a union that is not uniformity but unity in difference. For this to happen, we need to avoid two recurrent temptations. The first temptation is to seek diversity without unity. This happens when we want to separate, when we take sides and form parties, when we adopt rigid and airtight positions, become locked into our own ideas and ways of doing things, perhaps thinking we are better than others or always in the right, when we become guardians of the truth. When this happens, we choose the part over the whole, belonging to this or that group before belonging to the church. We become Christians of the right or the left, before being on the side of Jesus, unbending guardians of the past or the avant-garde of the future before being humble and grateful children of the church. The result is diversity without unity.

2 Pope Francis The opposite temptation is that of seeking unity without diversity: unity becomes uniformity. Everyone has to do everything the same way, always thinking alike..unity ends up being homogeneity and no longer freedom. And so the prayer we make to the Spirit is for the grace to receive his unity, a glance that, leaving personal preferences aside we accept the responsibility for unity among all, and wipe out the gossip that sows seeds of discontent. Cardinal Blasé Cupich of Chicago: "Reactions to white supremacist Rally in Charlottesville," Origins August, 31, It has been observed that when mining for gold tons of dirt and rock have to be cleared away to find an ounce of gold. The Gospels provide us with the timely message that instead of looking for the dirt, we should get about the task of looking for the gold in each person, thereby treasuring the differences among us as gifts that enrich us all. (page 213) From: A Shining Lamp: The Oral Instructions of Catherine McAuley By Mary C. Sullivan, RSM, Editor. The Catholic University of America Press, The first and most essential virtue to acquire is humility. Begin with this and you begin well, and a good beginning is generally attended by a good end. This humility must not consist in words, nor even in the cheerful discharge of humiliating offices, for a great deal of pride might be concealed under this mask. It must emanate from the heart and arise from a deep conviction of our own nothingness and dependence on God, well knowing that if He withdraw His supporting hand we will immediately fall. (page 77) What are the limits He prescribes to His command? He extends it to that which He exercised for us: Love one another as I have loved you. Our exercises of charity performed abroad will have no value before God if there be not established at home a solid foundation of this virtue, for the Scriptures tell us that, well-regulated charity begins at home, and it is on these conditions that our exterior duties will be acceptable to Him. (Page 58) Your conversation should be always simple and useful. You should observe this gentleness of manner particularly towards your sisters, avoiding all stiffness and reserve, endeavoring thus to draw souls to God. (page 57)

3 From: A Shining Lamp: The Oral Instructions of Catherine McAuley When Jesus Christ calls on us to renounce all for His sake, it is not His intention to leave us friendless or without comfort, but to fill up the vacuum in our hearts with Himself, that is, with delights far surpassing any the world could bestow, and a happiness such as the inhabitants of Heaven alone can enjoy. (page 68) Consider the Poverty of Jesus Christ on the Cross, stripped of His clothes, forsaken by His friends, and even by His Eternal Father. He was silent under His other torments, but when that interior support was taken from Him, He cried out, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? (page 44) We are all called on to imitate the sanctity of Jesus Christ, and this sanctity should be manifested in our very look, tone of voice, and whole exterior, but this exterior appearance should only be the effect of the interior sanctity we possess, which is far more valuable in the sight of God. (page 87) From Reflections on Peace, Women, and the World s Faiths By Ursula King. Dialogue & Alliance 25 no 1 Summer 2011 Pages 8-18 More than ever before, the deep human yearning for peace must be translated into action today. Peace is no longer an option; it is an imperative. More urgently than ever, we need to create a new peace consciousness and culture in the contemporary world. The attainment of greater peace between the peoples of the world and conflict resolution in non-violent rather than violent ways will only be possible if we put our mind and heart to it to make it happen. And that will require tremendous effort and much work. Much rethinking, in fact, in order to develop both new ideas and practices. (page 8) Women have long been associated with peacemaking, and countless women are active campaigners today. Peace was an important feminist issue right from the beginning of the modern women s movement. The rise of a separate women s peace movement, supported by women from religious and secular backgrounds, is directly rooted in women s commitment to the values of life, in their capacity for compassion and care. (page 8)

4 From Forgiveness and the Healing of Nations By Eileen R. Boris. Dialogue & Alliance 25 no 1 Summer 2011 Pages People question the role that forgiveness plays in resolving political conflict because forgiveness is ultimately a personal decision. And forgiveness is very much a personal choice, a decision one makes to see a situation differently, not through the lens of anger, guilt, or fear but one of understanding and compassion. However, it is also true that governments can lead their people into making that decision by setting up the conditions for forgiveness to take place. (page 59) (Three psychological conditions that can activate feelings of forgiveness.) 1. Care worthiness. People forgive transgressors whom they view as appropriate recipients for kindness and compassion. The question is how do you begin to care for someone who might be a stranger to you and has done unimaginable harm? 2. Expected value. People forgive to the extent that they perceive their relationship with the transgressors to be a valuable one. 3. Perceived safety, which simply is a matter of trust. People are more inclined to forgive a transgressor whom they perceive to be unwilling or unable to harm again in the future. (pages 60-63) Of these three conditions perhaps the most difficult aspect of forgiveness impacting the healing of a nation is to be able to develop empathy for the enemy, specifically because we want to dehumanize the enemy. In order to repair relationships we have to change our perceptions and recognize the humanness in others. This necessitates a change in our own thinking. It also necessitates a commitment to renew relationships. (page 63) From Reflections on Peace in the Decade to Overcome Violence By Esther Mombo. The Ecumenical Review Volume 63 Number1 March 2011 Pages The Hebrew word shalom is used to refer to wholeness, wellbeing, security, peace, prosperity, justice and righteousness, with God as its source. This state of wellbeing is also relational, as we hear from the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 65:17-22). The eschatological vision offers forgiveness, blessing, mature life, security, peace and harmony between God and God s people, as well as with human beings and nature. Jesus proclaimed the reign of God in which each one found wholeness and fullness in Life, individually and collectively. (page 74)

5 From Reflections on Peace in the Decade to Overcome Violence When Jesus said, My peace I give to you, not as the world gives (John 14:27) and Blessed are the peacemakers (Matthew 5:9), he was setting a high standard for those who were to adhere to his teaching and keep the values of the kingdom. We applauded any and all efforts for peace on every front in the home, the community, the nation and the world. While we may not obtain the total peace this represented by the coming of Jesus, we are challenged to take up the role of peacemakers so that the Unholy Trinity of rape, genocide and war will become a thing of the past. (page 76) From The Poetics of Building Peace By John Paul Lederach and Angela Jill Lederach Brethren & Light Summer 2009 Pages 1-10 To notice requires something deeper, something more creative and intentional that must be present and evoked. To notice requires respect. In Latin respectus means regard or literally the act of looking back at another. Built on the terms re (back) and specere (to look at), respect is the act of seeing and then looking a second time and noticing with care. To respect is to look, then look again with care, regard, and appreciation. We could call respect the poetic act, the craft of noticing. (page 3) Martha Minnow perhaps articulated this human dilemma most succinctly in her early volume Between Vengeance and Forgiveness. She writes that collective violence poses the challenge that closure is not possible. Even if it were, any closure would insult those whose lives are forever ruptured. Even to speak, to grope for words to describe horrific events, is to pretend to negate their unspeakable qualities and effects. Yet silence is also an unacceptable offense, and shocking implication that the perpetrators in fact succeeded. (page 8) What we begin to find here is the inlet swell that seamlessly links noticing, simplicity, in truth. Beyond words as facts, the terrain of the unspeakable can be entered, felt, and then expressed, but only to the degree that spaces create the poetic moment that gives rise to memory and hope, Truth and love. Here something reverberates that touches the inner soul and the outer world of shared experience. (page 8) Video Materials Online 1. Web cast: George Murray, SJ, Bishop of Youngstown, Ohio, Chair of ad hoc committee -- Bishops act to address the sin of racism and seek solutions Also see: usccb.org/racism 2. TED Talk - We Need to Talk About Injustice, Bryan Stevenson May 1,